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      Directions and levels: movement

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can combine travelling sideways and using different levels.

      Key learning points

      1. Move: making the different levels clear to an audience involves precision.
      2. Think: selecting which actions to use to travel sideways requires effective decision-making.
      3. Feel: self-discipline enables us to try hard and focus on improving the quality of our ideas.
      4. Connect: clear actions support clear communication.

      Keywords

      • Sideways - to the side, horizontal

      • Level - the height of an action, high, medium or low

      • Location - a particular place or position

      Common misconception

      Travelling sideways can only be performed by a side step.

      There are many different ways to travel sideways, e.g. shuffling, stretching, wriggling, jumping.

      Teacher tip

      Use a simple text book to illustrate how words are arranged and the conventions we use for reading and writing.

      Equipment

      Suggested music.

      Content guidance

      Risk assessment required - physical activity

      Supervision

      Adult supervision required

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Which of the following letter shapes is an example of a curved pathway?

      x
      k
      Correct answer: s

      Q2.
      What is another word for accurate or detailed?

      Correct answer: precise
      resilience
      concentration

      Q3.
      What do we mean by performing one at a time?

      taking over
      Correct answer: taking turns
      overtaking

      Q4.
      What are you doing if you decide what, when and how to do each action when creating a dance?

      travelling
      running
      Correct answer: choreographing

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      What are the three levels used in dance?

      forward, backward, up
      right, left, down
      Correct answer: high, medium, low

      Q2.
      What is another word for ‘horizontal’?

      Correct answer: sideways
      vertical
      diagonal

      Q3.
      What is selecting the actions you will use an example of?

      exploring
      Correct answer: decision-making
      trying

      Q4.
      How can we create interesting actions for travelling sideways?

      Correct answer: try different ideas
      just sidestep
      create one idea

      To help you plan your 3 physical education lesson on: Directions and levels: movement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...